Fire Fighters

A Philadelphia grand jury will investigate the Kensington blaze that killed two firefighters last week to determine if criminal charges are warranted, the District Attorney's Office said Tuesday. Mayor Nutter, who has sharply criticized the owners of the former Thomas W. Buck Hosiery building for not responding to safety citations issued by the city, said he supported the grand jury's involvement. "It will help us to get some answers to a number of unanswered questions. . . . It is absolutely the most appropriate next step," Nutter said.

Citing leadership problems, Bensalem Township has shut down the Union Fire Company. "This decision was not the result of an isolated incident, but rather a culmination of numerous incidents and events that have resulted in a loss of confidence in the leadership of Union Fire Company," the township's Department of Public Safety said in a statement. Over the 18 months, the volunteer fire company, at 2067 State Rd., has repeatedly failed to follow "administrative and operational directions from the Township," the statement said.

SCRANTON - City officials say firefighters are refusing to work overtime shifts, leading to fewer firehouses being open. Members of the Scranton Fire Department and their supporters have been rallying against the closing of firehouses, the Scranton Times-Tribune reported. City officials contend the firefighters' refusal to work overtime shifts en masse has resulted in having just three stations and four companies open on some days. Mayor Chris Doherty said firefighters did not refuse overtime before the layoff of eight firefighters in August.

Authorities have identified a 65-year-old elderly squatter killed Friday morning in a Camden arson fire. After battling a blaze that burned through a rowhouse on the 1200 block of Decatur Street, fire fighters found Paul Johnson on the second floor of the home around 4:15 a.m., police said. An autopsy ruled the man had died from smoke inhalation, and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office ruled the death a homicide. Johnson had prior addressed in Collingswood and Oaklyn, but police believe he had most recently been living in the abandoned home.

The Philadelphia bomb squad was called to a Center City underpass to investigate a suspicious package. A box with wires sticking from it was found on I-676, on the westbound side of the Vine Street Expressway, under 15th Street, about 11:30 a.m. Fire fighters, police and other emergency workers responded to the scene. After inspecting the package, police determined the box was not dangerous and traffic resumed. The road is one of the area's busiest, and Hahnemann University Hospital is less than a block away from where the package was found.

James A. Stanton, 99, Philadelphia Fire Fighters Union Local 22's oldest living member, died Sunday at the Genesis Rehabilitation Center in Millville, N.J. Raised in South Philadelphia, he served an apprenticeship at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and worked there for several years as a journeyman machinist. Mr. Stanton entered the Philadelphia Bureau of Fire in 1925. Joining the firefighters was an easy career choice, influenced by the uncle he was named for: James Bennett, a member of Engine Company 46 at Front and Reed Streets when it was formed in 1895, said Mr. Stanton's son, James J. In 1929, Mr. Stanton signed the charter affiliating the Philadelphia union with the International Association of Fire Fighters, said Local 22 President Les Yost.

Hatfield Volunteer Fire Co. has agreed to compromise with borough residents who want silent nights. The fire company will shorten its siren from 2 1/2 minutes to about a minute by only ringing it five times for nighttime emergencies instead of the usual eight blares, said Chief Ralph Rehrig. The new policy was agreed upon at the Hatfield Borough Council's last meeting. Councilman Charles O. Slugg asked Rehrig to attend the council's work session after several residents complained to him about the noise in the middle of the night.

Borough firefighters' union leadership confirmed yesterday that it had signed an overdue three-year contract with the borough more than a month ago. Borough Solicitor Paul Vangrossi, who helped represent Norristown in the negotiations, could not explain why the borough had not announced the resolution sooner. He referred other questions to Municipal Administrator Anthony Biondi, who has not returned phone calls or been available for comment for three days. The agreement was reached two days before the July 1 bargaining deadline, sparing taxpayers and the union costly arbitration proceedings.

Re: "It's not about fire safety; union fears losing the OT," Sunday: Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers' latest attack on city Fire Department personnel is factually incorrect, dishonest, and insulting. An apology is called for. Recommitment to safety is demanded. The individual and collective experiences of firefighters and emergency medical personnel convince us that the recent brownout closing of neighborhood fire stations is unsafe. Being forced to travel longer distances to respond to emergencies increases response time.

A Philadelphia grand jury will investigate the Kensington blaze that killed two firefighters last week to determine if criminal charges are warranted, the District Attorney's Office said Tuesday. Mayor Nutter, who has sharply criticized the owners of the former Thomas W. Buck Hosiery building for not responding to safety citations issued by the city, said he supported the grand jury's involvement. "It will help us to get some answers to a number of unanswered questions. . . . It is absolutely the most appropriate next step," Nutter said.

Authorities have identified a 65-year-old elderly squatter killed Friday morning in a Camden arson fire. After battling a blaze that burned through a rowhouse on the 1200 block of Decatur Street, fire fighters found Paul Johnson on the second floor of the home around 4:15 a.m., police said. An autopsy ruled the man had died from smoke inhalation, and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office ruled the death a homicide. Johnson had prior addressed in Collingswood and Oaklyn, but police believe he had most recently been living in the abandoned home.

SCRANTON - City officials say firefighters are refusing to work overtime shifts, leading to fewer firehouses being open. Members of the Scranton Fire Department and their supporters have been rallying against the closing of firehouses, the Scranton Times-Tribune reported. City officials contend the firefighters' refusal to work overtime shifts en masse has resulted in having just three stations and four companies open on some days. Mayor Chris Doherty said firefighters did not refuse overtime before the layoff of eight firefighters in August.

The Philadelphia bomb squad was called to a Center City underpass to investigate a suspicious package. A box with wires sticking from it was found on I-676, on the westbound side of the Vine Street Expressway, under 15th Street, about 11:30 a.m. Fire fighters, police and other emergency workers responded to the scene. After inspecting the package, police determined the box was not dangerous and traffic resumed. The road is one of the area's busiest, and Hahnemann University Hospital is less than a block away from where the package was found.

Citing leadership problems, Bensalem Township has shut down the Union Fire Company. "This decision was not the result of an isolated incident, but rather a culmination of numerous incidents and events that have resulted in a loss of confidence in the leadership of Union Fire Company," the township's Department of Public Safety said in a statement. Over the 18 months, the volunteer fire company, at 2067 State Rd., has repeatedly failed to follow "administrative and operational directions from the Township," the statement said.

Months after they were among hundreds of public employees laid off in Camden, 55 police officers and 31 firefighters were sworn in again by Mayor Dana L. Redd this morning at City Hall. The men and women, who appeared in uniform, are scheduled to start working this weekend. Facing a $26.5 million budget deficit, the city laid off 168 police officers, 67 firefighters and 113 other municipal employees on Jan. 18. Two federal grants and a $2.5 million payment in lieu of taxes from the South Jersey Port Corp.

Philadelphia's state-appointed overseers have agreed to fund an in-depth study of the city's firefighting needs, conscious of their role in toning down the politics and emotion in the continuing debate over Fire Department staffing. The Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA), the board that approves the mayor's five-year budget plan, agreed in a 5-0 vote Tuesday to commission a study estimated to cost between $350,000 and $450,000. The report, to be compiled by a consultant chosen in cooperation with Mayor Nutter and the International Association of Fire Fighters, would look at all aspects of firefighting, from emergency medical response to facilities and equipment.

Re: "It's not about fire safety; union fears losing the OT," Sunday: Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers' latest attack on city Fire Department personnel is factually incorrect, dishonest, and insulting. An apology is called for. Recommitment to safety is demanded. The individual and collective experiences of firefighters and emergency medical personnel convince us that the recent brownout closing of neighborhood fire stations is unsafe. Being forced to travel longer distances to respond to emergencies increases response time.

FIREFIGHTERS are nuts. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's their most endearing quality. But anybody who would strap 20 pounds of lifesaving equipment to his back, climb a ladder above a raging fire, crawl through acrid smoke and broken glass to rescue a stranger is not wired the way normal people are. But bless their abnormal hearts - the city is a safer place because of them. One of the first stories I ever went out on was a raging fire in a chemical plant in South Philly 37 years ago. Even as the front wall collapsed, firefighters rushed into the plant to rescue a worker who was rumored to be inside.